Author Archives: Ollie Price

Saints fans haven’t had much to cheer about this season, but the FA Cup has provided a silver lining in a gloomycampaignand has kept open the prospect of a second Wembley cup final in two years, following last year’s run to the EFL Final.

http://gty.im/919672450

This is the first time that Southampton have appeared in the last eight of the FA Cup since 2005, but having been drawn against League One side Wigan, they have a great chance of reaching the semi-finals, and from there they will have the opportunity to emulate the 2003 side that made the final, or even the legendary Cup winners of 1976.

Of course, at this stage of the competition, no game can be considered straightforward. It’s one of the reasons why the FA Cup is a great vehicle for football betting, as many smaller clubs raise their game while others rest key players, and Cup form can often be very different to league form, which can lead to some great odds. Some football punters betting on this match with Stakers will be hoping to profit from another famous FA Cup shock, while others will be relying on the Premier League club to get the job done and advance to the last four.

To set up that semi-final, however, the Saints will have to get past Wigan, and that won’t be easy. The League One side stunned English football when they dumped Manchester City out of the competition in the fifth round, thanks to a late Will Grigg goal, and that wasn’t their first Premier League scalp of the competition. Wigan have done it the hard way, beating Bournemouth in the third round and overcoming West Ham in the fourth.

Southampton’s path to the last eight hasn’t been much easier. They came through a potentially tricky third-round tie at Championship promotion contenders Fulham before edging narrow wins against Watford and fellow relegation strugglers West Brom. If you believe in omens, then it’s worth remembering that the 1976 side also beat West Brom in the fifth round on the way to their Wembley triumph.

Naturally, the Saints will be favourites to win this game, but it won’t be easy. Wigan are the toughest lower league opponent that Southampton could face. They’ve only lost three games at the DW Stadium all season, and dispatched Bournemouth, West Ham and City at home without conceding a goal. Although their Cup exploits have led to a string of league postponements that have seen them drop to third, they remain the best team in League One, with the division’s best goal-scoring and defensive records; and in Grigg they have the Cup’s top goal-scorer, ably supported by Nick Powell and winger Michael Jacobs.

Mauricio Pellegrino also has to have one eye on the relegation battle. One point clear of the drop zone, Saints have crucial matches against Newcastle and Swansea to prepare for, and have a potentially tricky run-in to the end of the Premier League season with fixtures against Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester City and trips to Everton and Leicester.

However, the Cup is also a distraction for Wigan. One of the dangers of playing lower league opposition is that if they have nothing to play for, the chance to progress deep into the FA Cup becomes their focus, and they can prepare more thoroughly for what is often a historical opportunity, making them much tougher to beat. That does not apply to Wigan.

One of several former Premiership sides to drop into League One after getting into financial difficulties, it was only five years ago that they were beating Manchester City to win the FA Cup under Roberto Martínez. Their manager, Paul Cook, has admitted that their progress to the quarter-finals has made it harder for them to sustain a promotion push, and for the Latics, getting back into the Championship is the main priority this season.

Pellegrino will be well aware of the threat that Wigan pose, and of the need to balance a determined effort to progress in the Cup with the essential priority of remaining in the Premier League. However, Saints have a deeper squad than many of their relegation rivals and should be able to maintain their efforts on two fronts. A place in the semi-finals, with a chance to progress to Wembley, would be a huge boost to their fans, who haven’t had much to cheer about this season. Let’s hope that they can emulate the heroes of ’76 and make us proud.

English football is often seen as more than just a sport – the combination of pain, passion and dedication have turned it into a way of life for many football fans worldwide. The stakes are even higher for the players, so there is bound to be even more zeal in their attempt to defend their club’s name and reputation.

In the football stadium showdowns, it is evident that certain football clubs tend to be more aggressive with each other than others. Either due to a past grudge, geographical closeness or just some animosity among individual players of the two teams, rivalry among English football clubs is alive and well. The following are just a few from the pool who have appeared to show above average fervency in their attempts to defeat their rivalling clubs.

Southampton vs. Portsmouth

This rivalry among the two neighbouring football clubs is still flourishing, even though they no longer take part of the same league. While the fate of the two clubs has shifted in opposite directions, both of their constituents have remained determined to honour the ‘South Coast Derby’ and their nicknames, The Saints and Pompey. You could have a look here for their official ranks and points, but don’t be fooled – despite their differences, both teams are known to offer great value.

Birmingham vs. Aston Villa

The rivalry between these two football clubs seems to be coming from all sides. It is called the ‘Second City Derby’ or ‘Birmingham Derby’ interchangeably, as Birmingham is in fact the second city of the UK. Even with an ever-growing population and supporters, the Blues suffered relegation, so there haven’t been many fierce encounters between the two. Nonetheless, Aston Villa’s takeover of the former Birmingham coach, Alex McLeish was a definite challenge. It doesn’t matter he resigned shortly afterwards, as the derby was reignited.

Tottenham vs. Arsenal

If you thought the coach move was daring, wait until you hear about Arsenal’s annual holiday – St. Totteringham’s Day held at the end of the league season. They use this day to celebrate ranking higher in the Premier League than their rivals, even though there hasn’t been much reason to celebrate in the past years.

The ‘North London Derby’ is definitely a memorable affair, and it doesn’t seem like either the Spurs or the Gunners are ready to raise the white flag just yet.

Liverpool vs. Manchester United

A rivalry in the true sense, and colour, of the word can be noted between Liverpool and Manchester United players. The Reds and the Red Devils are often proclaimed first position regarding English football rivalries, so it’s only natural that it is known as The Red Rivalry.

Despite lack of geographical connection or historic grudges, these two teams have been on fighting terms since the years of Liverpool’s dominance in the Premier League. They shifted places during the era of Sir Alex Ferguson with the Devils, and now that neither of them holds the upper hand, there are bound to be more sparks when they meet on the court.

Old enemies collide as Chelsea versus Barcelona matches coming up this weekend. There are special offers being put on several sports booking sites such as placing a bet of £10 will get you a free additional £30 bet. Such offers make it more lucrative to place bets on football matches that are ongoing. As of 20th February, the old foes met on Stamford Bridge, which was after a time span of six years after they locked horns with each other. Chelsea hosted Barcelona for the first time as one of the Champions League matches. The best wagering tips that made the rounds of the game was that Barcelona would win and Luis Suarez would score. There were other wagering bets on the scores that Eden Hazard and Lionel Messi would make. Barcelona seems to be running away with the La Liga cup as well as Lionel Messi which could be disadvantageous for Antonio Conte’s side.

If we look at Messi’s performance trends, he has not been able to score against Chelsea before, but it was predicted that the Argentine maestro will be able to bag a first for which the wagering bets were 16/5. It was predicted that Messi will battle for a dominant position and Eden Hazard will also be a formidable opponent. Luis Suarez was also a man worth watching out for as he is a man who is now in excellent form. He has also scored big against Chelsea and for such reasons the wagering bets for Suarez have been high.

Though this game is over today, it gives you a glimpse of how the predictions work and wagering of bets are decided upon. Many sports booking sites make it exciting by offering lucrative wins by predicting scores for the ongoing games. Those who wish to make the right predictions or choose the right wagering combination would get insight from the reviews and trends that are showcased and discussed at different sites such as at https://www.unibet.co.uk/livecasino.

If you wish to stay ahead of the latest football games and wager to near accuracy, all you need to do is know the games that are scheduled ahead and the teams who are playing. Check on their past performances, especially against each other and know the changes that exist in the team makeup. As individual players and their present playing form also make a difference, such data needs to be known. Research on player form, their past performances, the teams that are scheduled to play their immediate past victories or failures and score trends. All such insight can help in making near accurate wagering bets. With such bets wagered you will end up making lucrative wins.

Find the right sports booking site to make your wagering of bets an exciting event. Most sports booking sites have special promotional offers and schemes that make wagering of bets on football matches more exciting as you watch the matches and see the outcomes unfold. With varieties of bets there are always ways to win for football games.

In this article we shall provide you with quick fixtures for you to guess a glimpse of season ahead.

In the premier league, each team has to compete against every other team. A team having a tough start can be considered as a winning team and opening fixtures can further accelerate the team towards its winning success.

You can refer to the graphs for 2017-18 season to study the winning pattern of the top rated teams. Let’s highlight some of the winning patterns here.

Southampton and West ham are considered as easiest starts as they both had an opportunity to play 5 weak teams out of 6 in the first of 10 matches. As compared to this, Tottenham played 4 weak teams out of 6 and had around 7 fixtures.

When speaking of toughest starts, Everton is heading the list as they have to play 4 out of 5 to qualify for the league. In the same row, Leicester had to face against 4 strong teams out of 6 initially.

Key numbers talk!

According to past reports for last 18 matches Chelsea has been winning fixtures for opening day. They had to face around 3 draws. They have never been beaten ever since 98 or 99 league. So if you were to place your bets then this team would be ideal for this premier league. They have a much better chance of winning this season as well. It is mostly wise for bookies who are looking to make a profit and lack experience in Sports betting to start with placing free bets. Free bets are bonuses provided by the different online brands that allow bookies to place bets at a minimum risk. Betters can also click on the link to get information specifically regarding free bets on Cheltenham 2018 league.

Next stands Watford on the list as the team has not been defeated this season yet. For their last ten matches the team had managed to win 5 out and had to face a 5 match draw.

Manchester City also has a very good track record as they only had to face a 1 draw match this season and won around 7 out of eight matches. Everton, on the other hand, has only managed to win 1 match out of their 9 fixtures opening. They also have a score of 4 draws in a row.

Stroke are still suffering to have an opening in present season out of their 7 matches played.

According to experts placing bets on Everton certainly is not advisable. Next suggestion would be the Leicester who have had a very tricky start. They have managed to play against five out of six teams that are tough out of ten games. It is also expected that the team has yet to deal with four more tough teams this season in opening matches.

Arsenal is also believed to have a very slow start in the initial stage as nothing much is expected from their gameplay till late September.

Easiest starts teams

Claude Puel can try and win back the victory and faith of the fans, as they may only have to face one from six this season, while all others are almost relegated. In 2017-18 it is also certain that West Ham has shown a very slow and gentle start.

Nicolai Muller isn’t a household name in European football but he could mature into a top talent should he move to the Premier League this summer. Southampton have been linked with the 29-year-old for well over a month now but those links have intensified now that Muller has rejected a contract extension with current club Hamburg. He has been on Southampton’s radar for some time and it wouldn’t be a huge surprise to see Mauricio Pellegrino’s side make a concrete bid for the winger.

Back in 2015, he scored one of the most important goals in Hamburg’s 128-year history; a winner against Karlsruher that helped the club avoid relegation. Since then, Muller has blossomed into a fan favourite with the Hamburg faithful but he is out of contract next summer and the club may push to sell the wantaway winger in the next month.

With 14 goals in 49 appearances over the last two seasons, Muller has been a key figure for Hamburg but it is now time to move on. At 29 years old, Muller has to move now or he’ll never go. According to various reports, Saints and fellow Premier League outfit West Ham were interested in signing Muller back in July and a move to St Mary’s could materialise if Pellegrino is still interested.

At the time of writing, Hamburg are priced at 2/1 for relegation this season according to Bundesliga betting odds and Muller might want to get out now in order to preserve his reputation. According to various reports, Wolfsburg and Schalke, arguably better placed to avoid dropping down to Germany’s second tier, have shown interest in signing the winger and a move to a rival could be on the cards.

Hamburg want to keep the player but the club are in a difficult position. Should Saints come in with an offer that they can’t refuse, Hamburg will almost certainly accept. From there, it is a matter of convincing Muller to leave his native Germany for England and the Premier League. If Pellegrino can convince Muller that he will be a valuable member of his squad, he could push to join Saints before the end of August.

Saints could do with somebody like Muller to keep defenders on the back foot. Yes, he is a relatively unknown quantity but that could work in Pellegrino’s favour – signing the Hamburg man might be straightforward if Southampton can fend off West Bromwich Albion. His pace and tenacity out wide would certainly give Saints an edge and new dimension going forward and Shane Long could prosper from Muller’s blistering speed.

Hamburg have been flirting with relegation from the Bundesliga for a few years now and Muller knows that the club are on a downward slope. Muller was hampered by injury last season and he was sorely missed – they always tend to perform better with the 29-year-old in the side. With five goals and six assists in 22 Bundesliga appearances, Muller had a solid year statistically and Saints would benefit from his impact. Over to you, Mr Pellegrino…

Southampton have struggled to add to their squad this summer, but an interesting option could be to add Ghanaian misfit Andre Ayew to their squad.

It is now looking increasingly likely that Virgil van Dijk will leave Southampton for a huge fee, after the player was left out of the clubs training camp in France. It looks as if the club are coming to the realization that they will have to let the wantaway defender move on. If that happens, the club will be armed with a sizeable transfer kitty.

Ayew arrived at West Ham just a year ago for a reported fee of £20million. I expect that Southampton would not have to pay any more than that amount to convince West Ham to part with their, not so successful signing.

Last season Southampton certainly lacked creativity and goals. Ayew can score and assist regularly and would be a bright spark in the final third for the club. The Saints top assister last season was Dusan Tadic with just 5 and their top scorer was Nathan Redmond with 7.

Despite his limited game time last season (16 starts, 9 sub apps), Ayew notched up 6 goals and 3 assists. His best form without a doubt though came at Swansea where he was given more regular game time. He managed 12 league goals in 34 appearances for the Welsh side, playing predominantly in a wide midfield role.

The 27-year-old has struggled to impose himself at West Ham and with the club recently signing Mauro Arnautovic, Ayew’s game time will again be restricted and the temptation of more regular football and a chance to reinvent himself at Southampton could be one he’d be interested in.

Betfred’s Review Page on BettingTop10 tells you the pros and cons about the bookies and where you’ll be able to find best value if you fancy a flutter on Ayew completing this reported move to Southampton.

We can see potential in this rumour and certainly feel like Ayew would be a decent addition to this Southampton squad. He’d provide some goals from wide areas, and there’s not many players in this squad that are capable of that. If a narrower formation is played then he is also capable of playing through the middle. His versatility is certainly attractive.

Virgil van Dijk is one of the best defenders in the Premier League; there are no two ways about it. The Netherlands international has been on the books of Southampton since 2015, and over the past two seasons, he has shown what he is capable of.

Many would have been sceptical of Van Dijk when Southampton signed him from Scottish Premiership giants Celtic in the summer of 2015. It cost the Saints as much as £13 million in transfer fees, but the 26-year-old centre-back has proved to be worth every penny.

It should not come as a surprise to anyone that top clubs in England want to sign Van Dijk in the summer transfer window. Liverpool have been strongly linked with the former Groningen star, who is also reported to be on the radar of Tottenham Hotspur, who finished second in the Premier League last season.

Liverpool could do with a centre-back of Van Dijk’s quality in their quest to finish in the top four for the second successive campaign. As for Spurs, if they bring in the Dutchman, then it would not be a bad idea to take advantage of a £20 free bet bonus and place it on the North London club to win the Premier League title next season at odds of 8/1 – they would become that strong in defence.

Southampton have stated on more occasions than one that they are not planning to sell Van Dijk in the summer transfer window, but every player has his price. A bid of over £40 million should be enough to convince the Saints to part company with the former Celtic star. After all, it is only a matter of time before the Dutchman leaves St. Mary’s Stadium. The 26-year-old’s stock is high at the moment, and it would make sense for Southampton to cash in on him and then bring in maybe a couple of young and promising centre-backs.

The Saints’ model of buying low and selling high has worked for a while now. Southampton took a chance on Van Dijk two years ago, and it worked. Instead of holding onto the defender for one more season, they should now be willing to let him leave this summer. There are plenty of young and promising defenders out there for the Saints to buy on the cheap this summer, develop them and then sell them at a high price in a few years’ time. Even if new manager Mauricio Pellegrino wants an established centre-back, he would still get to buy one with the money from Van Dijk’s sale and still have some change.

Celtic centre-back Erik Sviatchenko would not be a bad signing for Southampton; the 25-year-old Denmark international would come relatively cheap as well. Kieran Tierney is a left-back by trade, but the 20-year-old Celtic star could be moulded into a centre-back. Everton may not be willing to sell Mason Holgate in the summer transfer window, but the Saints could try to sign the 20-year-old, who can operate as a full-back or as a centre-back, on a season-long loan deal.

Many Southampton fans are unhappy with how the 2016-17 season turned out, but should they be? There were many clubs that performed below par last season, and none more so than the former Champions Leicester City. Other teams like Manchester City, Stoke City and West Ham will all be looking for a big improvement on last term too.

Southampton manager Claude Puel has come under criticism, but it’s kind of weird how a successful season comes back to haunt a club. Southampton came 6th in the league in the 2015-16 season and finished on 63pts. In the major football betting markets last season, the betting firms were clearly not fancying the Saints to repeat that. The problem that Claude Puel faced was twofold.

Had the Saints Peaked?

The fact is that Southampton are not a “top six” club despite coming 6th in the 2015-16 season. Their financial resources are far behind the traditional big six in England, so it was always going to be difficult for the Saints to replicate their previous form. Secondly (and something that went largely unnoticed) every single team in the top six finished last season with more points than the previous season.

This acted like a syphon on the rest of the division and led to many clubs being compressed in terms of points totals. An absolutely staggering 94pts more were earned by the top six clubs in the 2016-17 season, than in the previous year. This is a factor that must be taken into consideration when we look to assess Puel’s first season in the top flight of English football.

Southampton Faded

Many Saints fans were unhappy at how they finished the campaign, but they were not the only club to tail off towards the end. Southampton finished the season winning only two form their final nine, and it’s safe to say that such form is worrying for onlooking fans. However, there are a number of key factors that would have no doubt played their part in this poor run.

The shoulder injury to Charlie Austin was a big loss to the Saints, having fired in six goals in just thirteen appearances wearing the red and white stripes. A big negative for the Southampton fans over the 2016/17 season was their lack of goals overall, and this is an area that Puel (if he stays beyond this season) needs to correct.

Austin finished the season as the clubs highest scorer, and that is staggering considering he spent five months out injured. It’s clear that the Southampton fans expect greater contributions from players such as Shane Long, Jay Rodriguez and even Manolo Gabbiadini to some extent.

Long is a hit and miss striker and his stats are there back that up. Just 18 goals from 89 appearances won’t give opposing defenders sleepless nights before a game. As for Rodriguez, there are glimpses of his former self as games go by, but to tell the truth, he’s never been the same since that injury in 2014.

Gabbiadini arrived in the January transfer window from Napoli, where he scored 15 goals from 56 games, and a grand total of 42 goals during the entirety of his time in Italy. He kicked off life on South coast in immense form, scoring six from his first four appearances, but then ended the season on that same tally.

Do the Saints have the quality they need?

The fact is that Southampton clearly cannot go out and buy the top quality strikers like other clubs can. They need to stumble on a new “wonder kid” or another gem using their black box method to recruitment, and whilst the jury is still very much out on just how good Gabbiadini is, fans will want to see a greater involvement from the Italian come next season.

This makes Charlie Austin key to their chances of a successful year in the 2017-18 season. Austin has scored 93 goals in 183 games for Burnley, QPR and Southampton, and that goal every other game strike rate is exactly what the Saints need. They can’t just go into next season relying on Austin though, and they need better back up beyond Gabbiadini. Is it time for both Long and Rodriguez to move on?

Free-flowing attacking football has been engraved into the DNA of Southampton Football Club in recent years, and in order for fans to look back on the 2016-17 season as a strong building block, that needs to be corrected; I’m certain that Charlie Austin will play a vital role in doing so.

Last Sunday was the first time that I haven’t stayed for the lap of appreciation in my 16 seasons as a season ticket holder, which speaks volumes (I did have to get my eldest back to Uni, but that wouldn’t have stopped me before).

This was no reflection on the players, who I feel have played well individually and within the framework that they are presented. They have been professional throughout, but obviously aren’t enjoying the football.

If I’m being honest, it was an element of lethargy from me (probably derived from the style of play that I’d just witnessed again) and the fact that I had no desire to see and hear Puel being abused. He comes across as a reasonable character, professional, knowledgeable and with a clear style that he has communicated very well to the players.

From other fans perspective on the outside looking in (and no doubt with the benefit of hindsight, from our perspective in due course) his results have matched and exceeded his start of season brief – top half finish, cup final appearance and blooded youngsters. However, it’s passionless football. I’ve left St Marys of late without any emotions whatsoever. It’s effective, functional but not entertaining and that’s in a league (top 6 aside) that has been poor this season.

Yesterday was a missed opportunity to sign off the season with a smile, which makes me think he’s knows his fate already. All too often, the switched ball to an overlapping full back was on, but the full back was shackled / the midfield drove forward into a static wall (Austin(!) or Gabbi aside) of Saints and stoke players / the ball was worked to the goal line and cut back, to where a midfielder should have been, but wasn’t / the ball played into a central midfielder on the edge of the box had to be stopped and then returned to the deeper lying midfielder, as no runs were being made beyond. That wasn’t a case of unwilling, disinterested or lazy footballers, it was obviously the cautious system they were playing to.

As others have mentioned, in the second half of the last game of the season, at home, losing 1-0 to a pretty unadventurous Hughes side and with nothing to lose, why not try Austin and Gabbi together? Why, because it doesn’t fit the system.

Most worrying though is that the players don’t look happy. Bertrand is a classic case. He’s never been found wanting before, nearly always a 8/10 + in my books, but he’s looked frustrated and dare I say bored of late. He’s been professional but can’t wait to get off the pitch at the end of every match. Yesterday, at times he looked like he was wary of getting any knocks etc (protecting a move?).

With the lack of any real passion on the pitch (Oriel aside of course – THAT tackle!!) transferring to the stands, the inevitable happens in that the silence is only broken by moans and jeers (Forster, Targett and Tadic being the most recent recipients).

And so starts a downward cycle…

I don’t want to be negative (8th place, cup final, Europe, League 1) but it’s becoming difficult not to and I’m therefore convinced that something has to change.

One thing won’t change though …I’ll still be there, in my lucky pants, week in, week out ! COYR!

Southampton finished the 2015/2016 Premier League campaign in sixth place in the standings and, as a result, they booked their place in the Europa League. For this special article of Southampton we teamed up with FootballPredictions.com, according to their predictions The Saints aim to repeat the success and it remains to be seen if their participation in the League Cup final is going to help them meet the goal.

Southampton chiefs were forced to sell several important players in the summer window, with coach Ronald Koeman taking over the reins at Everton. New signings obviously needed time to adapt to the new surroundings and that is the main reason why Claude Puel’s team sit in tenth position in the Premier League standings ahead of Matchday 30. However, the Saints did remarkably well to reach the League Cup final and that could help them save the season.

The St. Mary’s Stadium outfit produced a fine display in the title game at Wembley Stadium, but Manchester United eventually came from behind and won the League Cup trophy. Anyhow, Southampton have good chance of booking their place in the Europa League and they will represent England in the European competition should Jose Mourinho’s team happen to secure a top-five finish. Considering that the Red Devils have been in a thrilling form in 2017, there is every chance they will help Claude Puel’s charges make it to the Europa League.

Speaking of the English top flight, Southampton’s main goal is to finish the season in top ten. The Saints, though, are only nine points clear of bottom three in the Premier League standings, meaning that they will have to be at their sharpest in the remainder of the season if they are to avoid a shocking relegation to the Championship. Last season’s top scorer Graziano Pelle and key midfielder Victor Wanyama have been sorely missed in the 2016/2017 Premier League campaign and, no doubt, the club management will have to be very busy in the upcoming transfer window if they are to reinforce the squad.

Southampton have yet to face the likes of Arsenal, Manchester United, Manchester City, Chelsea and Liverpool in the second half of the season, meaning that their Premier League status could be in great danger in the season finale. The Saints need to collect as many points as possible from upcoming league fixtures against the likes of Bournemouth, Crystal Palace and WBA if they are to avoid the drop to the danger zone, but there’s no such thing as a free lunch. Claude Puel’s team need to take every single match very seriously if they are to retain their spot in top ten and the fact that they scored eight goals in total in victories over Sunderland and Watford is giving fans a reason for optimism.

Many football predictions suggest that Southampton will represent England in the Europa League next season, but their success depends on Manchester United. Given their tough fixture list, the Saints are unlikely to finish the season in the top half of the table, but they are definitely capable of securing yet another Premier League survival. If you are looking for more predictions of the Premier League, we suggest checking out this page: https://footballpredictions.com/footballpredictions/premierleaguepredictions/